1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to information recording apparatuses, imaging devices, information-recording controlling methods, and computer programs. More specifically, the present invention relates to an information recording apparatus, an imaging device, an information-recording controlling method, and a computer program for avoiding processing delay associated with formatting when information is recorded on an information recording medium, such as a digital versatile disc (DVD), so that data can be recorded quickly.
2. Description of the Related Art
When video data or other types of information is recorded on an information recording medium, such as a DVD, formatting is to be executed according to a predetermined standard. For example, specific application-format data and filesystem data defined by a standardization organization, such as the DVD Forum or the DVD+RW Alliance, are set and recorded.
For example, when video data is recorded on an information recording medium such as a DVD, generally, before recording the data, the following steps are taken:
(a) Physical formatting of the information recording medium; and
(b) Generation and recording of logical-format data.
Furthermore, depending on the type of recording medium, in addition to the physical formatting and the recording of logical-format data, for example, another step is taken to record dummy data in an area in which data has not yet been recorded, i.e.;
(c) Formatting of individual blocks.
These steps of formatting, executed for initialization of a recording medium, take a rather long time. Thus, for example, when video data is recorded by a video camera or the like, the user could unfortunately miss a desired scene while waiting for completion of initialization.
Techniques for solving the problem of delay of start of recording due to initialization have been proposed, for example, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2005-38570 (Japanese Patent No. 3595551). This document proposes an improved method of what is called back ground formatting, in which, among the steps of initialization listed above, (c) Formatting of individual blocks is executed in the background while processing for recording data is being executed. According to this method, however, the period of (b) Generation and recording of logical-format data still remains. During this period, it is not allowed to start recording of user data, such as captured video data, so that the user just waits for completion of this step.
As another example, according to a formatting method proposed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2003-162868 (Japanese Patent No. 3652675), (b) Generation and recording of logical-format data and (c) Formatting of individual blocks are not particularly distinguished from each other, and recording of packet data executed as these steps of recording format data are executed in the background while processing for recording user data is being executed.
According to this method, however, writing to a recording medium occurs before completion of formatting when a request for recording user data is not issued. Thus, for example, in the case of a portable video-data recording apparatus, such as a video camera, format data is recorded even when, for example, the user is carrying the video camera instead of recording video data. In this case, a write error of format data could occur and formatting could fail due to vibration or other factors. This could result in corruption of data; for example, appropriate recording or playback of user data on the recording medium could fail.